Day 7 was the last day of our south-eastern adventure. Plan of the day was to make the 4 hour journey back to the capital, and making pit stops as usual along the way. The main stop this time was Vik, a coastal town famous for the nearby Black Sand Beach (Reynisfjara). Day 7 was also the last day at Hof 1 Hotel. It has been a wonderful experience staying there.

Hof 1 Hotel: http://hof1.is/

Kicking off the day with the best free breakfast ever!

Bedroom at Hof 1 Hotel. It was quite small and narrow, but cozy and comfortable.

There was a nice common area but we didn't really utilize it since we were out most of the time.

There was a very peculiar picture hung right above the sofa. It looked like some folks standing behind a coffin. A rather morbid decoration.

After packing up,it was onward to Vik.



We took the same route back, as there was only one highway connecting all the major towns in Iceland. We passed by the same breathtaking scenery along the way. As usual, we made couple of stops to soak in the scenery.

Heading west to Vik.

Driving on one of the many single lane bridges along the Ring Road. The car on the opposite was waiting for us to cross the bridge.

Stopped by some turf roof houses at Nupsstadur.

Nupsstadur sign with the towering Lómagnúpur in the background.

I couldn't resist the beauty of Foss a Sidu waterfall.

One last round of shooting around Foss a Sidu.

Munid Bilbeltin. I kept seeing this sign while driving along the highway. I had to do some Googling to find out what it meant. Turns out this is a very sweet and clever version of "Click it or ticket". Fasten your seat belts!

Our first stop at Vik was Vik Wool, a clothing store located just right before the junction to the town center. Like its name suggested, it had lots of wool clothing, as well as the usual touristy trinkets. Not surprisingly, most of the wool products were pricey, as expected from any wool product anywhere in the world. I got myself a wool winter cap, my first wool product! After that, we drove into the town center. The buildings were rather typical of the other towns outside of Reykjavik. We stopped by at a cafe there, Halldorskaffi, to get something to eat as well as some tourist brochures. I asked the guy at the tourist info counter about puffins. Unfortunately, puffins were gone by the end of August.

A slice of cake and warm chocolate.

Church perched on a hill at Vik.

To get to the main attraction, Black Sand Beach, we had to drive back to the Ring Road and take the next exit.



The famous Black Sand Beach near Vik is known for, well, the black sand, and also the columnar basalt rock formations. The beach area was very well maintained. There was a pretty large parking lot, restrooms and even a restaurant there. The first thing that caught my eyes were the towering cliffs there. There were lots of birds (not puffins unfortunately) flying around cliffs. There were also daredevil sheep there grazing nonchalantly on the slopes of the cliffs. The famous columnar basalt pillars and the cave were located at the end of the cliffs.

Sheep grazing on the cliff.

The famous columnar basalt pillars at Black Sand Beach.

The cave wall was also made up of basalt columns.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of my friend here.I loved the contrast between his jacket and the rocks.

Other than the black sand and basalt columns, the beach was pretty similar to the ones found along the northern west coast of the USA.

View of the columns and the caves.

Taking some shots of the beach. Besides black sand, there were also lots of pebbles on the beach.

Overall, the basalt columns and the cliff formations made this stop worth it. I felt the beach itself though was not all that unique. Wind swept and cold, with strong waves crashing in, the beach reminded me of the ones along the Northern Californian coast. But the basalt columns, now that was unique. We were not quite done with Black Sand Beach though. After chilling around the beach, we drove to the other side of the beach, uphill to a cliff top that overlooks Black Sand Beach. The spot provided a sweeping view of the entire stretch of the beach. This was the view that was featured in postcards. There was a group of Korean photographers doing a modeling shoot at the scenic point, making full use of the stunning scenery I guess. The scenic point also had other trails that provided views facing both east and west.

View of Black Sand Beach from the scenic point.

Korean photography group.

One last shot of Black Sand Beach.

After Vik, we drove past Skogafoss and wanted to stop by the Eyjafjallajökull eruption visitor center.

Iceland Erupts: http://www.icelanderupts.is/en/sidur/about-the-exhibition

I was actually looking forward to learn more about the infamous eruption that brought the Western European airspace to its knees. Unfortunately, the center was already closed by the time we got there, due to shorter hours during shoulder season. I had to make do with some information boards posted outside instead.

Cool picture showing how it looked like during the eruption.

Eyjafjallajökull was still shrouded behind the clouds.

Continuing the journey west, we pulled into Seljalandsfoss for our last waterfall stop. The weather still did not co-operate for a nice picture from behind the falls, so I had to make do with one last frontal shot of the falls. It was kind of an anti-climatic end to our Iceland waterfall adventure, but I couldn't really complain as I have had enjoyed so much before that. Along the way, there were scattered showers as we approached the geothermal region of Hveragerði. I managed to take couple of bad shots of a rainbow that was actually very vivid.

Last waterfall stop at Seljalandsfoss.

Beautiful rainbow near Hveragerði geothermal area.

Passing by the beautiful Hveragerði geothermal area.

After a long drive,we finally arrived back in the city of Reykjavik. Our first stop was the mall Kringlan, the largest shopping mall in Reykjavik. We shopped for souvenirs in time for our flight back home the next day. While the price might be a bit cheaper in the mall, there are not many souvenirs shops in the mall. There are many more souvenir shops along Laugavegur shopping street. Nevertheless, we wanted to experience an Icelandic shopping mall. Overall, the look and feel was just like any mall in the US.


For the last night in Iceland, we rented a room from AirBnB, this time some where further away from the city center in a mostly residential area. When we got there, the host was not in so we took a stroll around the area. Turns out the Iceland National Stadium was just a few blocks away from the house. The stadium looked tiny compared to the huge NFL stadiums you get in the US. But it made sense considering Iceland's small population. At that time, I didn't really think much about Iceland's sporting scene. It was only recently that the Iceland soccer team caught my attention. They defeated the mighty (now fallen from grace) Netherlands in that very stadium and went on to qualify for Euro 2016, a very impressive feat for a small country.

Killer puffin booklet in Kringlan mall.

Iceland's National Stadium.

This cat was hanging around outside the house.

For our last dinner in Iceland, we headed into the city center to the highly rated Saegreifinn, The Sea Baron restaurant: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g189970-d1209708-Reviews-Saegreifinn_The_Sea_Baron-Reykjavik_Capital_Region.html. The seafood, like most other food in Iceland that we had, was fresh and good, but the seating area was rather tight and narrow. The outdoor seating area was closed due to the rain. We hung around Laugavegur for a bit after that before heading back to get some packing done and some well needed sleep. One last night in Iceland.

After the amazing sunrise, it was back to Skaftafell National Park. Our goal: The popular Skaftafellheidi Loop Trail. This includes the must-see Svartifoss waterfall and the Skaftafellsjökull glacier. But before that, free hotel breakfast! And oh boy did I have the best free hotel breakfast EVER! Slices of bread, different kinds of ham, smoked salmon, my oh my. The smoked salmon was truly amazing. It was very smokey, the way I like it. Hands down the best free smoked salmon I have ever had.

Best free hotel breakfast ever!

Very interesting fur lined chair.

Loving it here.

The dining area overlooks the farm lands near the hotel.

Morning light at Hof 1 Hotel

After the amazing breakfast, it was a short drive back to Skaftafell National Park.

Skaftafell National Park trail map

The trail starts from the campground near the Skaftafell visitor center. We took the S6 route to the Sjónarnípa scenic lookout point where we can get an awesome view of the massive Skaftafellsjökull glacier. Based on the map above, the trail starts at ground level, and goes uphill for a while before leveling out. There, we took a detour to checkout the iconic Svartifoss waterfall, before continuing on to the viewpoint (red trail).  This is one of the shorter trails available. There are longer and more challenging trails available as well. You can check out the available list of trails here:

Hiking trails in Skaftafell: http://www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is/english/hiking/skaftafell/

Walking to the trailhead.

Going uphill was not that bad. The ascent was mostly gradual. One thing that caught my eye was the vegetation. There are a lot more thick shrubs and trees in the area compared to other trails I have done in Iceland. Being out of shape, I took full advantage of resting at a couple of impressive viewpoints, including this waterfall below.

A nice short break while going uphill

Relatively thick vegetation compared to the other trails we did in Iceland.

After about 30 minutes, Svartifoss comes into view. The tundra/alpine fall colors was showing strongly as well. The shrubs were like a kaleidoscope of green, yellow, orange, brown and some red. We took the detour down to base of the waterfall to get up close to this iconic waterfall.

First glimpse of Svartifoss.

Svartifoss in full glory

Once near the base of the falls, it is easy to see why this waterfall stands out among the myriad of falls in Iceland. It is not tall. It is not large. It is not very powerful. Svartifoss seemed like a trickle compared to Gullfoss or Skogafoss. But thanks to the surrounding towering basalt columns, Svartifoss can claim its place among the must-see waterfalls in Iceland. I spent a while there admiring the interesting formations of the basalt columns. Some of them protruded out in gravity defying manner, while some curved outwards. The base of the falls was officially off-limits, probably for the safety of hikers due to the possibility of the hanging columns breaking off. The columns inspired the design of Reykjavík's landmark, the Hallgrímskirkja church, pictured below.

Inspired by Svartifoss

Next, we moved on along trail S6 to our next and final scenic point, Sjonarnipa. The vegetation thinned as we hiked further up. That opened up the view to snow capped mountains and vast flood plains down below. We were thankful that the trail was very well equipped and maintained. The trail was nicely fitted with a wooden walkway, placed above the muddy marsh-like ground.

The walkway was a blessing as we enjoyed the snow capped mountains and the fall colors.

The vast flood plains below.

I love crossing these small streams.

We stopped for a quick break to enjoy this view en route to Mount Doom in the background. I kid.

As we approached the viewpoint, I already knew what to expect: A humongous glacier lurking below the cliff, filling the vast chasm separating the two mountains. Yet my excitement continued to grow as the glacier slowly came into picture. It was a like the curtain opening with a drum roll for the main show. And there it was.

Admiring the grandeur of Skaftafellsjokull.

Bam! The amazing, massive Skaftafellsjokull glacier. Once again, I was blown away by the sheer magnitude of this titan. Even though the weather was gloomy with spotty light showers, I had no real reason to complain given what was presented in front of me. Clouds shrouded the top of the glacier, but we didn't really care. We were busy snapping away and posing regardless. After getting lots of shots, I took a break. I picked a rock, sat on it, whipped out my Nature's Valley and snacked on it while enjoying the view ahead. Nature's Valley indeed.

Busy taking pictures. Such huge. Much wow.

Posing with the glacial lake below.

Enjoying my Nature's Valley bar with this view. What a valley. What a view.

Heading back, we wanted to continue hiking on S6 along the glacier to complete the loop. Unfortunately, the leg running right next to the glacier was closed for maintenance. Probably it was too muddy I guess. So we had no choice but to backtrack using the same trail. Since we had time to spare, we hung around inside the visitors center for a while. There was a gallery of the national park's geology and history. There were lots of information about the different volcanoes in the national park, as well as the catastrophic 1996 eruption that triggered a major jökulhlaup or glacial flood. We stopped for a quick lunch right outside the national park before heading back to the hotel.

Nice warm soup and bread for lunch.

A nice spot with a view of the glacier.

We spent the rest of the day resting at the hotel. I took this opportunity to enjoy their indoor hot tub and sauna, a perfect way to unwind after hiking in the cold and rain. I was hoping for the clouds to clear in the evening. Unfortunately, the gloomy weather persisted for the rest of the day into the night. No bonus aurora show. Instead, I walked around and checked out the farm and the church before it got dark.

The turf roof Hofskirkja Church right next to the hotel.

Spotted some horse

Dashing as usual

And that was sunset, unfortunately.

I went to bed early to prepare for the journey back to Reykjavik the next day.